California’s underrated national parks
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July 26, 2025: Island Adventures and Sea Caves
Our journey began on the evening of July 25th, flying from Chicago to Los Angeles and staying the night near LAX. The next morning, we drove to Ventura to catch a ferry to Santa Cruz Island, the largest and most accessible island in Channel Islands National Park. We had a kayaking tour booked for 10 a.m., but our ferry ride was wonderfully delayed when the captain made a detour for us to watch a playful school of dolphins! The Channel Islands are home to deep underwater canyons that are a haven for sea life, making this area one of the most dolphin-dense in the world.
Upon arrival, we were split into small groups for our tour. Our guide, Luke—an American lifeguard, birder, and natural entertainer—gave us a brief introduction to kayaking. After gearing up in wetsuits and PFDs, we were ready for our adventure. I took the front of our two-person kayak, while Poy, the more experienced paddler, steered from the back.
We kayaked for an hour and a half, navigating through seven sea caves of varying difficulty. It was an incredible experience, paddling through forests of sea kelp and gliding through the dark, mysterious caves. Our arms were sore for days afterward and I got a bit of a sunburn (a reminder: wear lots of sunscreen and maybe exercise a little more beforehand!). Afterward, we enjoyed a picnic of Buc-ee’s jerky and sticky rice before setting off on a short, two-mile hike to Cavern Point. From the top of the hill, the ocean view and refreshing sea breeze were fantastic. Back on lower ground, we spotted several tiny island foxes, a species endemic to the islands.
It was a tiring but exhilarating day. On the ferry ride back to Ventura, our captain once again detoured for an unforgettable surprise: our first-ever whale sighting! We spent an amazing thirty minutes watching them. Back on the mainland, we drove to Santa Clarita to have dinner at “Pho Sure” with Poy’s friends, Waan and Aun, before heading to our Super 8 motel for a well-deserved rest.
July 27, 2025: Caves and Pinnacles
After a bit of a sleep-in, we stopped at Albertsons and Trader Joe’s for supplies and set off for Pinnacles National Park around 8:30 a.m. We arrived at the west entrance around 11:30 a.m. and had a quick lunch before heading to the Balconies Cave Trail. As we hiked through the cool talus cave, we spotted several beautiful, bright blue scrub jays.
After exploring the west side, we drove to the more popular east side of the park, arriving around 3 p.m. We immediately started our hike on the Bear Gulch Reservoir Loop. The trail led us up through another cave system to a lovely, serene reservoir at the top. The climb took about an hour, and we took a slightly longer, scenic route back down, making the total hike a little over two hours. Afterward, we drove back to Fresno for some boba tea and checked into Hotel Piccadilly, a surprisingly nice and affordable hotel.
July 28, 2025: Giant Trees and Icy Rivers
On the last day of our trip, we visited Kings Canyon National Park, which is sandwiched between its more famous neighbors, Yosemite and Sequoia. We couldn’t fit it into our California trip last year because the park’s main canyon area requires a dedicated hour-long drive to reach, and we simply ran out of time. This year, we dedicated a full day to it. We enjoyed seeing the giant sequoias once more—this time, the magnificent General Grant Tree!—but the true highlight was dipping into the cold, clear water of the Kings River at Muir Rock.
The drive up to the end of the road, where Muir Rock is located, follows the river the entire way, making for a beautiful journey. The water was so cold that we jumped in and out several times, but it was incredibly refreshing. On the way back down, we were treated to some spectacular views of the canyon that gives the park its name.
That marked the end of our adventure. We flew out of Fresno, just an hour from the park, for another red-eye flight back home, tired but full of incredible new memories.
From July 1st to 6th, we embarked on a trip from Sacramento, driving over 2600 miles to explore five incredible National Parks across Nevada, California, and Oregon. Our adventure took us from the ancient bristlecone pines of Great Basin and the volcanic landscapes of Lassen to the brilliant blue waters of Crater Lake and the towering giants of the Redwoods. Along the way, we balanced raw wilderness hikes with unforgettable stops for local donuts in Portland, a coastal drive down the Pacific shoreline, and a wine tasting at a Tuscan castle in Napa Valley.
The Canadian Rockies had never truly been on our radar, not for lack of awareness, but simply because we never imagined we’d have the opportunity to visit Canada. That changed entirely when I was invited to the prestigious Women in Numbers workshop at the Banff International Research Station. Seizing the moment, we decided to turn this milestone trip into a grand adventure, arriving a few days early to explore not just Banff, but a stunning circuit of five neighboring national parks, including, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier, Mount Revelstoke, and Kootenay.
One of the most popular National Park routes that Poy and I hadn’t tackled yet was the Utah ‘Mighty Five.’ We’d heard nothing but non-stop hype from friends, and after checking off several harder-to-reach destinations, we decided it was finally time to go for it! We initially tried to squeeze in Great Basin National Park in Nevada, but a car shortage at the Las Vegas airport left us with an electric vehicle. As it turns out, there are no non-Tesla charging stations near Great Basin (aside from one incredibly slow charger), so we pivoted. We ended up focusing solely on the five Utah gems, which actually made for a much more relaxing, less rushed experience.
There are not many national parks that are ideal to visit in winter, except for those in the desert. For this Christmas trip, we chose three desert national parks, namely, Petrified Forest, Saguaro, and Joshua Tree. In addition to these, we also stopped by some of the most iconic landmarks in Arizona’s desert landscape, including Horseshoe Bend and Monument Valley. It was a dry, sandy, and breathtaking Christmas. One that turned out to be truly memorable for both of us.